1. Field
Some example embodiments relate to thermoelectric materials and/or thermoelectric devices including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Thermoelectric conversion involves energy conversion between thermal energy and electric energy. When current flows through a thermoelectric material, a temperature gradient is generated between both ends of the thermoelectric material, which is called a “Peltier effect”, or conversely, when a temperature difference exists between both ends of a thermoelectric material, electricity is generated, which is called a “Seebeck effect”.
The Peltier effect makes it possible to realize various cooling systems which do not need a refrigerant. A cooling system using the Peltier effect may be usefully applied for solving a heat generation problem, which is difficult for existing cooling systems (e.g., manual cooling systems, or refrigerant gas compression type cooling systems) to solve. Thermoelectric cooling is an environmentally friendly cooling technique, which does not use refrigerant gas that causes environmental problems, and the scope of application of the thermoelectric cooling may expand to general-purpose cooling fields such as refrigerators, air conditioners, etc. by enhancing the thermoelectric cooling efficiency through development of a relatively high efficiency thermoelectric cooling material.
The Seebeck effect makes it possible to convert heat generated in a computer, a vehicle engine, an industrial factory, etc. to electric energy. The thermoelectric electricity generation using the Seebeck effect may be used as a new regeneration energy source. Recently, as interest in development of new energy, recovery of waste energy, environmental protection, etc. has increased, interest in thermoelectric devices has increased accordingly.